The concept of fate and religion are abundant throughout both The Iliad and Beowulf. Although Christianity is not clearly mentioned in either of the two poems, Christian ideals are often used. Sacrifice, evil, respect for higher powers, and respect for the dead are all issues that the two poems deal with and hold in high regard.

In the Iliad, superiority of higher powers is often a focus of the mortals. Agamemnon, a Greek war hero "...Sacrificed... a fat bull of five years" and prayed to the gods for success in the war against the Trojans. It can easily be assumed that if the sacrifice had not been made that the Greeks would not have done as well as they did in the war. Furthermore, while Agamemnon was praying the Achian soldiers "Prayed to be spared from death in the maul of war." The idea of prayer to a higher power in order to seek glory and to avoid or prolong the fate that comes with fighting in a war (death) is constantly being practiced. It is clear they the fate of war is thought to be death because "The god of war is impartial: he hands out death to the man who hands out death." (Book 18, page 293) An example of a time where t

The word Christianity is mentioned in neither The Iliad nor Beowulf, however it can be said that Christian ideals along with the idea of fate do play a role in both. The idea of honor, respect, and realization of a higher power is quite obvious through-out both. The idea of respect for the dead is shown in both, and the idea that evil does in fact exist is omnipresent. Christianity believes these things and they are all displayed in the Christian bible, which is simply a collection of Christian books. The concept of fate is also present in both literary examples. In the Iliad it is believed that all mortals will go to the same place no matter what unless they achieve great fame and glory in an honorable why throughout their life. In Beowulf it is believed that humans create their own fate by what they do with their lives on earth. The influence of Religion and the Concept of Fate are both clearly present in The Iliad and Beowulf.

Christianity founds itself around the idea of good, not evil, the idea of respect and love, not hate and slander. Its main idea is that humans must do what God wants them to do, that there are basic rules and ideas and beliefs that should not be broken and if they are the person should repent for their actions. Ideas of proper burial for the dead, sacrifice in one's life for the greater glory of god, respect for one another, and the evil of sin are all surface issues of Christianity. Also, Christianity believes that humans have a free will, so it could be said that humans can make their own fate, but at the same time is acknowledged that all must die and that if the will of God is carried throughout one's life, then they will end up in heaven.

Furthermore, Beowulf has multiple examples of the Christian idea that we must trust God and the abilities he has granted us. One of the two of the greatest examples of Christian ideals is when Beowulf heads off to kill Grendel's mother, he acquires a sword called Hygelac that has never been beaten in battle. Beowulf swims down (also the idea on the location of hell) through the infested water until he reaches Grendel's mother. Immediately, when they begin to fight, Beowulf s

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Approximate Word count = 1463
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)